Opera VPN DNS routing and logging policy limits

Answer

There is no built‑in option to send DNS queries through Opera’s VPN tunnel on desktop or mobile.

Confirmed facts

• Opera’s VPN encrypts only HTTP/HTTPS traffic; DNS requests are handled by the system resolver outside the encrypted tunnel (documented up to 2024).
• The free VPN tier logs connection timestamps, transferred data volume, and approximate geographic location for service optimization, but does not store browsing history or IP addresses tied to specific web activity (per Opera’s privacy policy).
• The per‑site exemption (split‑tunneling) list applies exclusively to HTTP/HTTPS traffic; there is no supported way to add DNS or IPv6 traffic to that list, and manual edits to configuration files are ignored.

Likely explanation

Because Opera’s VPN implementation treats the tunnel as a proxy for web traffic only, it does not capture or redirect UDP/TCP port 53 DNS packets. Consequently, DNS leaks occur unless you use an external DNS‑over‑HTTPS or system‑wide VPN that handles all protocols.

Steps you can take

1. Verify DNS leakage: visit dnsleaktest.com while Opera VPN is active; if the reported DNS servers belong to your ISP or local resolver, DNS is not tunneled.
2. Review the data Opera collects: open Opera → Settings → Privacy & security → VPN → “Learn more about our privacy policy” to see the exact analytics listed (timestamps, bandwidth, coarse location).
3. Manage per‑site exemptions: Opera → Settings → VPN → “Manage per‑site VPN exceptions”; note that the list only affects HTTP/HTTPS sites, and you cannot add DNS‑only or IPv6‑only entries.